LONDON - October 26 - Greenpeace's high profile 'Green my Apple'
stall was shut-down today at the start of the Mac Expo (1) Organisers of
the Mac Expo claimed they had received complaints from unnamed sources.
The Greenpeace stall was bought for the three-day expo in an attempt to
raise awareness about concerns over the use of toxic chemicals in
Apple's products.
The Greenpeace volunteers manning the stall were signing up Mac fans to
challenge Apple to go green. Flyers explaining the Green my Apple
campaign were handed out to members of the public along with organic
green apples. The volunteers have vowed to return to the expo tomorrow
to continue the 'Green my Apple' campaign. www.greenmyapple.org
"This reaction is totally over-the-top" said Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace
International campaigner at the expo. "Apple refuses to address our
criticisms on their products, both for the recycling and for the use of
harmful chemicals. Instead of hiding their head in the sand, Apple
should be a world leader in the greening of the electronics industry,
not lagging behind," she continued.
Apple scored 11th place (out of 14) on a 'Guide to Greener Electronics'
recently released by Greenpeace, with a poor showing on almost all
criteria. (2) The company fails to embrace the precautionary principle,
withholds its full list of regulated substances, provides no timelines
for eliminating toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and no commitment at all
to phasing out all uses of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). (3) The
company also performs poorly on product take back and recycling, with
the exception of reporting on the amounts of its electronic waste recycled.
"It's time for Apple to use clean components in all of its products and
to provide a free take-back program to reuse and recycle its products
wherever they are sold. We are challenging the world leader in design to
also be a world leader in environmental innovation. We challenge Apple
to have a product range on the market by 2007 which is free of the worst
toxic chemicals," she concluded.
For information and interviews
Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International campaigner +44 7 801 212 992 Suzette Jackson, Greenpeace International communications +31 6 4619 7324
Notes to Editors:
1. Mac Expo at the Olympia Kingston between 26th-28th of October is the
UK's leading exhibition and conference for the Mac community.
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